GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team will have a chance to get back on the winning track less than 48 hours after suffering its first Southern Conference loss of the season as the Spartans host The Citadel Monday night. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum. The game will be streamed in full HD on the SoCon Digital Network for free and will also be radio broadcast on 1320 WCOG AM and the TuneIn App with Scott Pryzwansky providing the call.
The Spartans (5-10, 1-1 SoCon) dropped their first league game of the season Saturday evening at home, falling 76-55 to league newcomer and 2014 NCAA Tournament participant Mercer. UNCG had opened the league schedule with an impressive 80-79 road victory at East Tennessee State in December. The Spartans will look to get back on the winning track and enact some revenge against The Citadel as the Bulldogs ended UNCG's season last year with an 86-76 victory at the SoCon Tournament in Asheville.
Monday's game marks the 26th meeting all-time between UNCG and The Citadel. The Spartans own a commanding 17-8 record against the Bulldogs but had their six-game winning streak in the series snapped with the upset last year at the SoCon Tournament. UNCG won the regular season meeting last year between the two teams, also in Greensboro, posting a 69-65 victory in overtime as forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) scored the game-tying basket with 3.7 seconds left in regulation.
The Spartans connected on just 40.3 percent (52-of-129) from the field and only 24.1 percent (7-of-29) from 3-point land in the two games against The Citadel last year. UNCG did its damage against the Bulldogs in the paint as former Spartan Kyle Cain averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds in two games while Locke averaged 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
The Citadel conversely did its damage from the outside, hitting 42.6 percent (20-of-47) from distance last year against UNCG. Ashton Moore was the main culprit averaging 22.5 points per game and hitting 8-of-16 from 3-point land. Former Bulldog Matt Van Scyoc added 18.0 points and 6.0 rebounds as he hit 7-of-17 from long range.
The Spartans enter Monday's game with a 5-10 overall record and a 1-1 mark in SoCon play. The Spartans have dropped four out of their last five games with losses to North Carolina, Elon, East Carolina and Mercer while their lone win during the stretch came against Mars Hill.
Sophomore guard Tevon Saddler (Aberdeen, Md./St. France Academy) leads the team in scoring at 15.5 points per game. Saddler has scored in double figures in 12 of 15 games, including four games of at least 20 points. He also leads the team with 56 assists, 28 steals and 88 free throw attempts. Locke is second on the team in scoring at 12.6 points per game and second on the glass at 5.7 rebounds per game. Locke has scored in double figures in 10 games, including five out of the last six games.
Redshirt sophomore center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) is third on the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game and leads the team on the glass, grabbing 6.7 rebounds per game. White has hit a bump in the road recently, averaging just 8.6 points and 5.0 rebounds over the last five games. Prior to this recent stretch, he had scored in double figures in eight of the first 10 games.
Senior guard Nicholas Paulos (Salt Lake City, Utah/New Hampton School) is fourth on the team in scoring at 11.1 points per game while also grabbing 4.1 rebounds per game. Paulos leads the team with 46 3-pointers and is shooting 44.7 percent from long range. Sophomore guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) rounds out the Spartans averaging double figures at 10.7 points per game.
The Citadel enters Monday's game with a 5-8 record on the year and a 0-2 mark in SoCon play. The Bulldogs have picked up wins this year against Toccoa Falls, Bob Jones, Warren Wilson, Navy and Bethune-Cookman but are 0-5 on the road this year. The Citadel opened SoCon play with a 19-point home loss to Chattanooga before falling by eight points Saturday at Western Carolina. The Bulldogs are averaging just 63.0 points per game this season but holding opponents to just 62.3 points per game.
Moore once again leads the Bulldogs, averaging 17.2 points per game while dishing out 36 assists. Moore is shooting 36.6 percent (37-of-101) from 3-point land and his 37 3-pointers are a team-best. Forward P.J. Horgan is second on the team in scoring at 14.0 points and leads the team on the glass grabbing 7.1 rebounds per game. Horgan is shooting 60.2 percent (68-of-113) from the field this year.
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